Friday concert prelude to Carnegie Hall show

Lauren Wilson, center, who will be performing a solo at Carnegie Hall during an upcoming trip to New York City, sings with Tiffany Gonzalez, left, and Elena Berseneva, right, during a rehearsal with the Marion Civic Chorale at St. George Anglican Cathedral On Southeast 28th Street in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 4, 2013. Members of the College of Central Florida Patriot Singers and the Marion Civic Chorale will travel to New York to perform at Carnegie Hall on Feb 18.

Bruce Ackerman/Star-Banner

By Carlos E. MedinaCorrespondent

Published: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 9:58 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 9:58 a.m.

When Jerry Van Weelden, his wife, Jill, and Grat Rosazza sat in his living room 26 years ago and decided to form the Marion Civic Chorale, he never imagined the group would one day sing at New York's famed Carnegie Hall.

Lauren Wilson, center, who will be performing a solo at Carnegie Hall during an upcoming trip to New York City, sings with Tiffany Gonzalez, left, and Elena Berseneva, right, during a rehearsal with the Marion Civic Chorale at St. George Anglican Cathedral On Southeast 28th Street in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 4, 2013. Members of the College of Central Florida Patriot Singers and the Marion Civic Chorale will travel to New York to perform at Carnegie Hall on Feb 18.

On Feb 18, members of the chorale, along with members of the College of Central Florida Patriot Singers, will perform in the presentation of “The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass.”

“We've been singing for a long time, and this is probably the most exciting thing we've ever done,” Jerry Van Weelden said.

The two groups have rehearsed for weeks and will showcase their efforts in a performance Friday at the college's Charles R. Dassance Fine Arts Center.

“Everybody is really thrilled. We are getting really excited for this concert on Friday and, of course, the main performance in New York,” said Matthew Bumbach, the director of the civic chorale and also the director of vocal music at CF.

The nearly 50 area singers traveling to New York make up a quarter of the ensemble performing in the show, which features the bluegrass band Monroe Crossing. The performance is scheduled for the iconic Isaac Stern Auditorium/Ronald O. Perelman Stage. The groups were selected from entries submitted from across the country.

“It's one of those opportunities that don't come around that often. This is also the first time for CF, I believe, so it's really special,” Bumbach said.

The show, as well as Bumbach's ties to both groups, brought the distinct groups together. The Marion Civic Chorale's membership has traditionally been older residents, while the Patriot Singers are made up of more college-aged performers.

“It's really a great partnership. The community members feed off the enthusiasm of the younger singers and the younger singers benefit from the experience of the older singers,” said Bumbach, who is a Marion County native and Belleview High School graduate.

Van Weelden said the chorale is always seeking younger members and has made strides in that area.

“When we started, everyone was older. Now our oldest member is 84 and our youngest is 14,” he said.

The group will travel to New York on the Friday before their Monday night performance. In addition to rehearsals, they also will attend two Broadway shows.

“It's going to be a real whirlwind weekend. It should be a lot of fun,” Van Weelden said.

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